#WeekInJustice: Week 176
At some point this week, the word “whiplash” was used to describe both joyful highs and troubling lows, sometimes in short order.
I’ll start with the dark news:
This week local governing boards saw members of the public using words to normalize violence against those working in government and engaging in democracy. It is and will always be a fine line in ensuring we are both defending free speech while also aggressively holding accountable those who threaten or incite others to violence.
As we move toward November, it will be increasingly important that we set a hard line that makes clear that calls for violence will not be tolerated. Though we don’t expect this to come to pass in our beloved community, we will nonetheless be prepared to take swift action as necessary. To that end, I shared news of what occurred this morning with my 18 federal law enforcement partners at the U.S. Attorney’s Office (the Federal prosecutor for the entire State of Arizona.)
Now on to some more familiar things:
Another four felony jury trials in the books this week. Coming out of the COVID backlog, we are setting records on trial rates. While it is good to seek justice for those who have been waiting, I remain vigilant about the Court rushing to such extent that Victim’s or Defendant’s rights are trampled. This week we are 43% DOWN on homicides from two years ago. The violent crime DROP is both sustaining and even improving. Law enforcement and my Office are delighted, and yet we remain busy with non-violent matters as well.
At our DTAP Drug Court graduation last night, 25 graduates reclaimed their lives against all the odds. I love giving them that Coach’s pep talk in the green room before they take the stage. Have a wonderful weekend.
To be continued,
Laura
